A Magical Day Trip To Malham Cove
Get inspired by this British magical wall
The view from the top
Right in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, stands an adamant limestone wall named Malham Cove. The 70 meter high cliff has been eroded by water and ice for centuries. Anno 2019, however, visitors can easily walk towards the Cove, over a slightly cobbled road that runs through grass fields and passes some meltwater brooks and peacefully grazing sheep.
You can’t help but feeling tiny when you’re looking up the cliffs, following a waterfall that cascades down on the stones near you. But the actual sight here, isn’t the rock facade, nor the waterfall - it’s the top of Malham Cove that is so beautiful it even starred in a famous, quite British movie.
But before we can take in the views from the top, we have to climb. The path isn’t too steep, but as it is cold and slightly rainy outside, we’re trying not to move too fast. On our way up, we spot some nests, supposedly created by peregrine falcons, who live near the pathway during Summer months.
Made it to the top
We decided not to take the hard way up: one can also climb the rock with ropes. In Summer, we heard from some guys planning on climbing Malham Cove, the stone surface can get incredibly hot, so for sports climbing, it’s advised to bring your climbing gear in Winter.
The gaps in the limestone from up close.
As we reached the top, the limestone pavement looks quite familiar. Our friends, Hannah and Trevor, already said the top of the rock has been filmed by multiple film crews, but it takes us a while before we guessed right. This place is featured in the last Harry Potter movie!
Harry and Hermione on top of Malham Cove (c) Warner Bros
The compelling location was filmed in early 2009, when Harry and Hermione set up a tent in a Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows scene. From the top, we can see the view Potter and Granger are taking in in the movie: we look across Malhamdale, see Cawden, Malham Village and Kirkby Malham.
After taking some pictures of the atypical shapes of Malham Cove’s top, we know why this place is associated with magic. On the way down, Hannah and Trevor even tell us that the cliff also inspired Lord of the Rings writer J.R.R. Tolkien - the fort of Helm’s Deep (which can also be seen in the Two Towers movie) is said to be based on the shape of the rock face.
Malham Cove from up top
Having done some more hiking in the neighborhood, we decide that it’s time for lunch. A very British lunch, indeed: like Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, who have also visited Malham Cove for their hilarious The Trip series and movie, we are planning on having lunch at the most extraordinary restaurant, called ’The Yorke Arms’.
Trevor takes a selfie
It’s quite difficult to book a table at this Michelin-starred restaurant, but eating at the attached ’The Little Dining Room’ is far more affordable (and we didn’t need a reservation). Slightly tired and high on the delicious, meaty food, it’s time to head back to our cottage. After warming ourselves by the fire, we can only we think: this was quite a magical trip indeed.
Story by Hero Traveler contributor Joost Bastmeijer, a freelance travel writer and photojournalist currently traveling through Africa. Check out my photos on Instagram at instagram.com/joostbastmeijer, or visit my website to see some more of my work: joostbastmeijer.com!